Maine Native Landscaping Rebates

Many Maine water utilities offer rebates for EPA WaterSense smart irrigation controllers and for converting spray to drip. Amounts and eligibility vary by provider. Search by zip code at the EPA WaterSense Rebate Finder to see programs in your area.

Rebate finder links to utility-specific programs. Smart controller and drip conversion rebates are common in water-stressed regions.

Many utilities in Maine offer incentives tied to water efficiency improvements. Turf replacement rebates and native landscaping incentives vary a lot by provider. Use the national rebate finder below to see what is available near your zip code.

This entry is a starting point for finding applicable programs. Specific amounts and requirements depend on the utility and your address.

The Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance reimburses lakefront homeowners 50% of the cost of any vegetated buffer, no-mow natural or planted native, with a $500 minimum and $1,000 maximum reimbursement per property (so a $1,000 project receives $500, and a project costing $2,000 or more receives the $1,000 maximum). One reimbursement per property; a homeowner cannot claim both the no-mow and planted-buffer options on the same property. Only two of the program's five eligible lakes are in Maine: Wilson Lake (fully within Acton, ME) and the Maine portion of Great East Lake (also in Acton, ME); the other three eligible lakes (Horn Pond, Lovell Lake, Lake Ivanhoe/Round Pond) are New Hampshire-only (Jon Balanoff, AWWA, confirmed by email, September 8, 2026).

Portland Water District offers matching grants of up to $1,500 to homeowners on Sebago Lake or one of its major tributaries for work that reduces erosion, stormwater runoff, and nutrients reaching the lake. The process starts with a free Lakescaping consultation and a written Lakescaping Report of recommendations; following them is voluntary. Eligible expenses include native shoreline plants (the District names purchasing plants as a grant-eligible expense) and practices such as rain gardens, dripline and infiltration trenches, infiltration steps, and runoff diverters. Lake associations, commercial summer camps, and municipalities are eligible for up to $2,500 (Portland Water District, Sebago Lakescaping Program, last verified September 2026). The $1,500 is not a lifetime cap: a homeowner can apply a second time (Portland Water District, confirmed by email October 2026).

Properties on tributaries beyond the immediate lake-shore towns may also qualify, so do not assume you are excluded. The program describes a matching grant but does not publish an exact match ratio.